Sgt. Chad Luttrell was standing on the front porch, chatting with his wife, Justina, when an LMTV drove into his cul-de-sac and a swarm of basic training Soldiers fanned out through the neighborhood.
"They were going door to door, knocking on every door" to offer residents 5-gallon jugs of drinking water, Luttrell said. "They were making pretty quick work of it."
Water has been a precious commodity on Fort Jackson since Columbia declared its product undrinkable without boiling last week -- a recommendation that remains in effect. The lack of potable water closed offices and child-care facilities until Tuesday.
"If (neighbors) took the 5-gallon jug, it was theirs to keep," use and refill at any of the water points on post served by water-purification units from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
"We had gotten … some from the commissary" and other sources, Luttrell said, but the bigger jugs were welcome. It's a lot easier to fill a cooking pot from a jug than to twist or pop open a succession of smaller bottles or cans, he said.
Guiding the operation -- and standing out in the drizzle without rain gear, Luttrell said -- was garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Rod Celestaine. He had gathered the Soldiers and planned the distribution route.
Two drill sergeants also shepherded their charges from companies B and E of the 2nd Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment and companies D and E from the 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment.
Many of those who accepted the water had been watching football and barbecuing, said Staff Sgt. Miguel Miranda of the 2-60th. When they offered a plate to the Soldiers, basic training protocol made the trainees refuse -- even though the food no doubt would have been tastier than the MREs they've been forced to consume lately because of the lack of water to cook with.
Still …
"They were pretty happy," Miranda said of the nouveau Soldiers. "They were excited.
"They actually saw a part of the military (experience) that most people don't get to see. They felt like they made a difference."
The units distributed more than 500 5-gallon cans on Saturday.
Elsewhere on post, chapel services ran on their regular schedules Sunday. Child-development centers, schools, post fitness centers, the Solomon Center, outdoor recreation sites and the library all opened on schedule Tuesday, as did Army Community Service offices.
Gate 1 was opened from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Even so, traffic at Gate 2 remained unusually heavy.
Graduations for basic training units have been canceled though Oct. 22.
"It could have been worse," post commander Maj. Gen. Roger Cloutier said at Thursday's town hall meeting at Joe E. Mann Center. "Everybody is alive.
"We can replace couches and carpet. Our family is OK.
"We collectively have a lot to be grateful for."
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